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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. file — a tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — a position
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — crushed
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rush — hurry
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com